


The Mantle of the New

by Azar



Category: Babylon 5
Genre: Alien Culture, Alien Gender/Sexuality, Alien Holidays, Gen, Minbari, POV Female Character, Trans Character, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-01
Updated: 2015-01-01
Packaged: 2018-03-04 17:43:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3076805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azar/pseuds/Azar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ivanova gets invited by Delenn to attend the Minbari version of a winter solstice holiday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Mantle of the New

**Author's Note:**

  * For [schneefink](https://archiveofourown.org/users/schneefink/gifts).



> I was trying to write a drabble or ficlet in response to your request for "Alien seasonal celebrations." It...kind of got away from me. *g* Anyway, the concept of the Day of Jonalla was taken from the Minbari Federation Fact Book for the B5 RPG, but I expanded considerably on both the holiday itself and what role Jonalla plays in Minbari culture. *g*

"Lieutenant Commander Ivanova?"

Susan recognized Delenn's voice before she actually saw her. That soft, lilting accent was unmistakable. Fortunately, of all the ambassadors on the station, Delenn was probably the one that she felt the least need to avoid. She wasn't sure if that quite qualified as irony, considering the history between Earth and Minbar, but she wasn't about to complain that it wasn't Ambassador G'Kar and/or Mollari demanding her attention.

Turning towards Delenn, it wasn't hard to summon up a polite but reserved smile. "Yes, Ambassador. What can I do for you?"

Delenn returned the smile. "It is my understanding that Commander Sinclair has been for some time somewhat...engrossed in the ongoing negotiations between the Drazi and the Markhab, so I was hoping I might make a request of you instead."

"Of course. I'd be happy to help you with anything that's in my power," Susan answered sincerely. She gestured for Delenn to join her.

The Minbari ambassador stepped to her side and the two resumed walking along the central corridor. "As you may know, there are nine major holy days that my people keep from year to year, most of them dating back to before the time of Valen."

Susan raised her eyebrows. "I didn't know that, actually, but please: go on."

Delenn inclined her head and folded her hands in front of her. "One of those holy days is approaching: the Feast of Jonalla. It marks what I believe your people call...the 'winter solstice': the shortest day of our year. The major celebration is held at the shrine of Jonalla on Tavalan, one of our colony worlds, but it is permissible for those who are not able to make the pilgrimage to mark the day wherever they may happen to be."

"All right." Susan nodded. "I'd be happy to help. What is it you need? Security? Permission to bring something aboard the station?" At least if there was some sort of sacred plant involved this time, Londo wasn't likely to do everything in his power to thwart it. 

"It is traditional for the ceremony and celebration to be held in a garden," Delenn answered.

That made Susan's eyebrows do another upward crawl. "A garden. In the middle of winter?"

Delenn's smile didn't even flicker. In fact, if anything, her eyes grew warmer. "Where possible, yes. There are places near the equator of every world where the winters do not strike as fiercely as they do closer to the poles. And the shrine of Jonalla on Tavalan is kept in a state of perpetual spring. Since there are no seasons on Babylon 5, the garden here seems an excellent alternative to traveling to the shrine."

"That makes sense," Susan acknowledged with another tilt of the head. 

"Anyone who wishes to would be welcome to attend, or merely observe," Delenn hurried to add.

"In that case, I don't think it'll be a problem. I'll have to confirm it with the Commander of course, but I think we can definitely accomodate you. Just keep us posted about what you'll need for the ceremony."

That made Delenn's smile bloom in full. "Thank you, Lieutenant Commander." 

She turned to go, but Susan called after her. "Delenn--just out of curiosity, who is Jonalla? I mean...if it's not considered sacrelige or something to ask."

"On the contrary, it means a great deal to me that you care to know," Delenn answered. "Before the coming of Valen, there were a great many...holy figures on our world. I believe the closest word in your language is 'gods,' although that is not entirely accurate." Her expression turned thoughtful, as though she were trying to translate her explanation in her head. Maybe she was, Susan acknowledged. Delenn spoke excellent English, but it was still not even close to her first language. 

"Jonalla represented the cycle of death and rebirth," she finally settled on. "Her shrine is meant to symbolize the Place Where No Shadows Fall, where the soul goes to rest before being reborn." 

Susan nodded. "I understand. There's a religion on Earth that, if I remember right, decorates its temples to look like their idea of Heaven." What Delenn described sounded like a cross between that and...Nirvana? Maybe not. Nirvana was supposed to be the end goal, not a reincarnation way station. Which she knew because an old CO of hers had been fascinated by Buddhism, even though in practice he was more...eclectic. "Many winter festivals on Earth have a similar theme of the dying of the old year and the birth of the new. I'd be curious to see what else they have in common."

Delenn nodded again. "Perhaps you would like to attend?"

"If I'm not on duty, I'd love to," Susan agreed. "Just let me know when and—" She smirked. "—well, I guess I already know where." 

* * *

The first thing Susan noticed, as she stepped into the part of the garden that had been set aside for the ceremony, was a nine-pointed star hanging on a slender pole above a table. It was a symbol she hadn't seen before: most Minbari buildings she'd been in seemed a little obsessed with triangles. That intrigued her right away. 

Lennier appeared at her side. He had a handful of what looked like sticks of incense in his hand, one of which he offered to Susan. On closer inspection, she realized it was a very slender candle.

"What's this for?" she asked curiously. 

"It is traditional to light a candle to honor those who have been reborn amongst us in the past year," he explained with his usual polite haste. "The candle is then extinguished to recall those who have departed from us to begin the cycle anew."

Susan felt a sudden surge of grief as her father's face swum into her vision. She blinked back tears.

Lennier looked alarmed at her reaction. "It is not necessary, of course."

"No," Susan assured him hastily. Sitting Shiva, when she'd finally allowed herself to do it, had been a much needed catharsis. And her grief was still fresh enough that another one wouldn't be unwelcome. Even if she didn't know any babies that had been born recently for the other half of the symbol. "I think I like the idea."

Lennier gave a relieved nod and moved away from her into the crowd to continue distributing candles. Susan found an empty spot and settled into it, looking around her curiously at the crowd. Most of the Minbari she saw were dressed very much like Delenn and Lennier, which she assumed meant they were also religious caste, but there were a few black-clad warriors. She was surprised there weren't many worker caste—at least that she could spot on sight—but then if there were many workers aboard Babylon 5, she had no idea if their employers respected their holy days. Hell, it was only due to Jeff that she'd gotten the High Holy Days off this year. Earthforce didn't much care what holidays its members celebrated: they worked you straight through them all.

Speaking of Jeff...Susan saw him moving through the crowd and waved. He smiled and made his way to her side. "Hey."

"Hey," Susan responded. "I didn't know you were coming."

He smiled. "After what you related to me of what Delenn told you, I couldn't resist. One doesn't get many glimpses of what Minbari culture was like before Valen."

Susan didn't quite return the smile, although her mouth tried. She raised an eyebrow instead. "Who's watching C&C?"

Jeff's eyes twinkled. "Lieutenant Corwin."

She swore under her breath in Russian and he laughed. "Don't worry; he has strict instructions to call us immediately on the link if anything goes wrong."

Susan winced. "Let's just hope it doesn't go wrong in the middle of the ceremony. Delenn might forgive us, but I'm not so sure about Lennier."

As if he'd heard her, Lennier was studying them with narrowed eyes from across the garden. He relaxed only when Jeff held up his own candle and Susan realized he'd been trying to remember if he'd given him one. Apparently Jeff had managed a much more sneaky arrival than she had.

Delenn stepped up to the table with one of the candles, lit, between her hands. A hush fell over the crowd. She spoke a few words in Adronato, then turned to light the candle held by Lennier. He then stepped to the front of the group and lit three other candles. Susan noted that each one was held by a member of a different caste. Those three then moved into the crowd and began lighting the other candles.

She wasn't really surprised when a warrior approached them. The warrior in question didn't look particularly pleased by the idea, but since the candle lighting seemed to be divided by caste, Earth military apparently fell under the warrior umbrella.

Jeff murmured a thank you to their candle-lighter before turning to smile wryly at Susan. Clearly he'd noticed too.

Once all the candles were lit, Delenn spoke again somberly. "Each flame is unique, just as each life is precious. When it goes out, there will never be another quite like it. On this day dedicated to Jonalla, we remember those lights which have been extinguished." She closed her eyes for a moment, murmured something too softly for Susan to hear, then blew out her candle.

One by one, the others in the audience did the same. Susan closed her eyes and whispered, "Andrei Ivanov," before blowing out her own candle. She felt a hand reach out to squeeze her shoulder and knew it was Jeff.

Delenn waited until all the candles had been extinguished and collected before continuing. "Valen said, 'It is not only when we die that we are reborn. The soul is reborn whenever it chooses to cast off an old life and take on the mantle of the new.'" 

Susan leaned over to whisper to Jeff. "So much for avoiding Valen."

He chuckled a little under his breath but raised his finger to his lips. 

Delenn continued. "In honor of Jonalla, who is reborn with each turn of the moon, I call upon those who wish to be reborn into a new life to come forward."

A few Minbari moved forward through the crowd, including a family unit with a child. Susan craned her neck in interest: she hadn't seen many Minbari children before and there were several in the crowd. Even the ones that she knew lived on the station were rarely seen in public: perhaps there was some tradition against it.

The family reached Delenn first, leading the little...boy? girl? by the hand. With the still-developing bonecrest, Susan couldn't tell what sex the child was supposed to be. Its clothing appeared to be entirely neutral, although she'd seen definite gendered trends of dress amongst at least the religious caste. 

The child's mother spoke in Adronato and Delenn's face broke out into a wide, welcoming smile in response. She crouched down to the child's level and asked in a clear voice, "Is it the calling of your heart to follow the way of Jonalla?"

The little one responded in equally clear English: "It is, Sat--I mean-- _Entil'min_ Delenn."

Apparently this wasn't a complete surprise, because Lennier appeared at Delenn's side carrying a bundle that had clearly been prepared with care. He handed it to her, and she in turn handed it to the child. "Then accept this gift of a new life. And may you always hear the calling of your heart as clearly as you do today."

The child beamed, turning eagerly back to...her? parents. Susan still wasn't sure. The parents proceeded to open the bundle and pull out what was essentially a miniature version of the outfit Delenn herself wore, although in different colors. What the symbolism was, Susan wasn't sure, but the parents knelt and gently removed the outer robe of the outfit the little girl--she was sure now that it was a little girl--had been wearing and replaced it with the feminine garments. Still beaming, the girl turned to fling herself into Delenn's arms.

Her parents looked a bit scandalized at that. The Minbari weren't exactly a touchy-feely people; even Susan knew that. Delenn just smiled, though, and held the little girl close for a moment before letting her go and stepping back. The next petitioner approached, this one an adult male, although once again wearing a more gender-neutral style of dress. The ritual was repeated, and only when the bundle delivered by Lennier once again contained garments much like Delenn's did Susan realize what was going on.

"They're transgender," she managed to blurt out _not_ loudly enough for everyone to hear.

Jeff nodded. "That makes sense. I did a little reading after we spoke, and it seems that Jonalla's sex is reputed to change with the phases of the moon. He/she is probably the protector and patron of anyone who experiences a similar dysphoria."

If there had been anywhere to sit, Susan might've needed to sit down to take that in. Especially since Jeff and Delenn had both said that Jonalla pre-dated Valen. Which meant this was something the Minbari'd had in place for over a thousand years. She wondered for a cynical moment if Earth would ever reach that point. Oh, they'd come a long way from even just two hundred years ago, but still...

The Minbari had their flaws. Like raging xenophobia and whole new levels of arrogance, not to mention Susan wasn't always too keen on this caste system of theirs. But she'd give them props for this.

The ceremony went on. A couple more Minbari came forward. One was given a bundle of masculine clothes, and still another was given...both? Genderfluid, she supposed.

"Not what you expected, huh?" Jeff asked quietly.

Susan shook her head. "To be honest, I was expecting something more like that ceremony they put on for the religious festival a few months ago. Delenn said that was a...rebirth ceremony, of sorts."

"I suspect 'rebirth' means many different things to the Minbari," Jeff ruminated.

She couldn't help but agree. 

Next followed a very similar ceremony, only this time Delenn invited up those who felt they had been called to a different caste. Once again, they were given a bundle of new clothes, only this time typical of the new caste they had chosen, and again they donned the outer garments before the entire assembly. New clothes for a new life: there was something to be said for that idea.

The changing of caste was treated as a much more serious matter, however. The supplicant's word alone was not enough; friends and family were required to give both testimony to the individual's calling, and their blessing for the shift to take place. Oaths had to be spoken, and the most senior member of each caste represented aboard the station had to agree to accept the newcomer. There was even, according to Delenn's admonition to each of them, a trial period. And perhaps to reflect that greater weight placed on the change, in addition to clothes, the newly accepted warriors were given a practice weapon, and the religious caste neophytes a book of sacred writings of Valen. No one switched to the worker caste, but Susan assumed they would receive the tools of their trade.

"Wow, and I thought finding a new job back home was hard," she muttered under her breath. Jeff grunted, but didn't reply. He had a thoughtful look on his face. 

It occurred to Susan then that with both of the latter two ceremonies, those choosing to come forward and be reborn had been from all stages of life, at least insofar as she could tell how old any Minbari was. There was even one in the group that changed castes who looked close to retirement age, if Minbari retired. There was something striking to her in that too. If Susan's heart had a "calling," it was Earthforce: she'd known that since she was too young to enlist. She couldn't imagine changing course so late in life. (Which, the cynical Russian part of her decided wryly, meant she was almost certainly destined to do so. It would serve her right.)

Things seemed to be winding down. After the last of this last bunch returned to their places, Delenn moved to stand beside the table again. She lifted the nine-pointed star from its place. Tiny bells tinkled. The Minbari were almost as inordinately fond of bells as they were of ritual and the number three, Susan decided with a smile.

"In honor of the one who awaits us in the Place Where No Shadows Fall, we honor those whose souls have died to be reborn into a new generation," Delenn stated with too much conviction to be considered chanting.

The crowd bowed their heads and chanted, "Jonalla Veni."

"In the name of the one who is reborn daily, we honor those who have chosen to embrace outwardly the inner shape of their souls."

"Jonalla Veni."

"And in the name of the one who rewards those who follow the calling of their heart, we honor those who have made the difficult choice to leave their caste."

"Jonalla Veni."

Delenn bowed to Lennier, who returned the bow, and then handed him the star. He carried it out, followed by the other religious caste Minbari who had helped with the ceremony, and then apparently it was over. Surprisingly short for a Minbari ceremony, Susan thought dryly to herself. Or at least, it had felt shorter than the only other one she attended, even though on reflection she realized it had probably been longer. Maybe it was the absence of food this time.

People began to drift away, although they paused to greet each other, and especially all those who had come forward to be "reborn," on the way. Susan and Jeff weren't the only non-Minbari who had attended, but most of those seemed to have satisfied their curiosity and disappeared quicker than the rest.

"Well," Jeff clapped Susan on the back. "I think I'm going to go thank Delenn for a very moving and educational experience."

His link beeped. Jeff's face fell. Tapping it, he almost sighed out, "Sinclair."

Susan laughed. "Well, like I said, at least it wasn't in the middle of the ceremony. Anything in particular you'd like me to pass along to Delenn?"

Jeff shot her a look. "Only that I would love to discuss the matter further with her when time permits. I'll see you later." He stepped into an unoccupied corner of the garden to converse without disrupting or being disrupted.

Susan shook her head in amusement. She supposed she could've offered to handle whatever it was Corwin needed in Jeff's place, but to tell the truth she wanted a word with Delenn herself. And unlike Jeff, who almost certainly _would_ pursue the matter later on, she was more likely to forget. Or, in a worst case scenario, to lose interest altogether. She didn't exactly have her CO's reputation for curiosity about the other species aboard the station, and given time, if she got busy with other things, she might decide to keep it that way.

* * *

Susan needn't have worried about seeking Delenn out; the Minbari ambassador approached her as soon as the crowd around her thinned enough that she could. "Lieutenant-Commander," she stated with genuine pleasure in her voice. "I'm pleased that you and Commander Sinclair were able to attend."

"Thank you for inviting us," Susan rejoined with equally genuine enthusiasm. "I'm sorry Jeff couldn't stay, but he did say he would love to learn more about Jonalla and the holiday if you get a chance at a later time."

Something secretive and almost self-satisfied crept into Delenn's smile. But her eyes danced too much and too warmly for Susan to read anything bad into it. "I would be pleased to teach him anything he desires to know." She folded her hands in front of her and began to walk slowly towards the entrance to the gardens. Susan followed. "And you, Lieutenant Commander," Delenn asked. "Did you enjoy the ceremonies?"

"Yes," Susan answered honestly. "Quite a bit, in fact. We don't have anything quite like that on Earth, at least not in any part of it I'm familiar with." She grimaced and found herself waving her hands around a bit in clarification. "I mean...we have winter holidays that celebrate the turn of the seasons and the symbolic death and rebirth of winter turning into spring, frequently even with the exchange of gifts, but..." How could she explain to Delenn what had meant so much to her? "You celebrate lifestyle choices that on Earth, it's taken us centuries to even begin to accept. And all of this has really been in place for over a thousand years?"

Delenn looked surprised, but nodded. An impish smile crossed her face. "Our history did not begin with Valen, you know."

Susan flushed deeply and dropped her eyes. "Yes, of course. I guess I just...you talk about him so much..."

Eyes dancing, Delenn laughed kindly. "Perhaps you also would care to learn more if you get a chance at a later time?"

She almost said no, out of sheer embarrassment. After all, aside from the basics to avoid any major faux pas with any Minbari on the station, when was she ever going to need the information? And a small, angry corner of her heart still hadn't let go of the losses suffered during the War, although that part had grown smaller as a result of knowing Delenn and Lennier. Hell, she wouldn't be able to work here at all if she couldn't forgive. And if she had the time to drop by the Ambassador's quarters for a lesson in ancient Minbari religion...what did it hurt? She might even get a new friend out of the bargain.

Susan smiled. "Yeah. I'd like that."

**Author's Note:**

> Here is the entry on the Day of Jonalla from the RPG book (everything else is my inference or elaboration):  
> "The Day of Jonalla. Jonalla represents death and renewal, a life spent in pursuit of pure goals and the deserved rest of the afterlife before returning to begin the cycle anew. Jonalla is alternately male or female, depending on the aspect of the moon orbiting her chosen colony world, Tavalan. Jonalla's shrine is an open air temple with cultured trees for walls and living sculptures of hedge for furniture. Climate equipment maintains spring-like conditions within the shrine area year round, a symbol of the perfection that awaits all Minbari in the Place Where No Shadows Fall."
> 
> The RPG book is not always a reliable resource--I suspect it was written WITHOUT JMS's input *g*--but it does often provide a good jumping-off point, and that's what I tried to do here: extrapolate logically from the information given in the book and what we already know about Minbari culture. I hope I succeeded in making it at least believable!
> 
> Also, according to John Hightower's Minbari dictionary at jumpnow.de, "Entil'min" is the Minbari word for Ambassador (a more literal translation would be "representative of Minbar"), and the "Veni" part of Entil'zha veni/Isil'zha veni means "in the name of." So, "Jonalla Veni" is intended to mean, "in the name of Jonalla."


End file.
